Does this indicate I’m spending too much time at the computer?

Thursday, February 28, 2013

I’ve worn the letters right off the keys.

I hope the picture is clear enough.
The letters
E,R,Y,U,I,O
A,S,H,L
N
Are totally or almost all worn off.

My laptop is 5 years old. I’ve just bought a new one, but still spend time with this old reliable. I’ve been retired for 5 years so that does explain the time to be online. Still, I was a teacher and technology coordinator in my working life, so being attached to a keyboard was always a normal part of my day.

I remember reading “The Gold Bug” in elementary school about code breaking based on most used letters of the alphabet. The wear on my keyboard verifies this theory. The Q,W,Z,X,C,B,V are as good as new.

Regardless of the effect on my keyboard, I must say that the time spent online has been very worthwhile. It’s partly responsible for the “new me" since the time spent on SP keeps my motivation high and the support I've received has encouraged me to keep writing.

DR1939
I've worked with computers since I was 19 (73 now). I was assigned to the first computerized billing system Gulf Oil installed in 1959. As a secretary I used the first tape-based computer/typewriter in our office and maybe in the state of Missouri. I learned programming on a mini-mainframe (still huge), spent many hours using a Decawriter connected to an IBM mainframe, and purchased a very early version of a PC as well as many more in the following years. At one time I knew BASIC and FORTRAN and wrote programs in them as well as using several analytical packages. And I could read punch cards!

My father was a cryptographer in WWII and talked about computers as I grew up, not by name but by concept. I knew about them before I knew about television. 1671 days ago

CELIAMINER
Great blog - funny and educational! My work keyboard looks like yours, but it also has crumbs and even spilled yogurt between the keys (oops). My home laptop has back-lit keys, so I just turned off the back lighting to see if they were worn down, but they're still amazingly visible given how much time I spend on the computer (waaaaaay too much).1671 days ago

SUNSET09
Get a new keyboard and start all over again! It seems, you're computer works just fine and kow your keys by heart, which is a good thing! IF that what it takes to keep you motivated and logging on, do YOU! 1671 days ago

AUGUSTDRAGON
You must have the fastest, most flexible fingers in the universe. Me, I just wear the numbers off my knitting needles. Too bad we all can't wear the numbers down on our scales like that. Think how skinny we'd all be! 1671 days ago

GINIEMIE
Yep, so I can look forward to my keyboard looking like that in 4 more years?I don't have a laptop, although I've been thinking about one. Erik has two, but they are Macs and I can't wrap my head around them. I like my PC but it leaves me stuck in my office instead of in the same room as him. You just keep sparking my . We need your input.

Just kidding. I'm on the computer help desk where I work, and we are always replacing keyboards because the letters have worn off. Very seldom do the keyboards actually break.

It's possible to buy replacement letters, they are just stick-ons after all, but I would much rather spend the money on a new keyboard than spend the time to peel and paste all those letters.1671 days ago

YMWONG22
Seeing your keyboard kind of reminded me of my previous company keyboard. I had my previous keyboard for around 5 years. Instead of wearing the letters off the keyboard like you did, the keyboard I used to have looks shiny and super glossy as I tend to sweat quite a lot and I have rather oily skin.

I have a new PC now at work now. This one is just over one year. The keyboard started to look shiny and super glossy like my previous one. Hahaha .....